Happy families

Home is where the heart is at three family-sized properties that have not been seen on the market for decades

- Penny Churchill

THERE’S something special about a cherished family home that hasn’t been seen on the market for many years—and buyers, who currently outnumber sellers by an ever-increasing margin, will no doubt be queueing up to view three impeccably located new entrants to the country property market. Today’s COUNTRY LIFE sees the launch onto the market of secluded Grade II-listed Hadham Grange, near the sought-after village of Much Hadham, halfway between the historic towns of Ware and Bishop’s Stortford in rural east Hertfordshire.

Following the death of its owner, whose home it was for almost 50 years, Hadham Grange is now for sale through Knight Frank (01279 213340) at a guide price of £3.95 million.

The ancient village of Much Hadham lies in a sheltered valley bounded to one side by the fledgling River Ash, a tributary of the Stort, and Hadham Grange occupies a commanding position on the ridge of a wooded escarpment to the east of the stream. According to its listing, the imposing redbrick house dates from the late 16th or early 17th century and was ‘greatly enlarged’ in the early 20th century. It stands at the heart of a picturesque complex of listed barns, stabling and outbuildings on the edge of the village, surrounded by 16½ acres of beautifully maintained gardens, orchards, kitchen gardens, paddocks, and woodland.

Approached along its own private driveway that meanders through the grounds —currently a mass of daffodils in full bloom—the main house is built on two storeys with many projecting bay windows, the latter painted an unmissable purple that may not be to everyone’s taste.